Board of Directors | Junta Directiva
Contact the Board
board (at) americas.org
Current Board Members
Allison Anastos
Formerly of La Conexión. Allison is a private immigration attorney specializing in crime victim visas and removal defense. She has lived for extensive periods of time in Mexico City, Mexico and in Seville, Spain. Her work with La Conexion has allowed her to provide free legal advice regarding a variety of immigration issues confronting the La Conexion community.
Barbara Benner
Formerly of La Conexión. Barbara is a psychologist at University of Minnesota Boynton Health Service. Since first learning Spanish several decades ago, much of her volunteer energies have been dedicated to Spanish-speaking communities. In early 2011, she spent time in Cuenca, Ecuador providing clinical input to a program working with youth experiencing homeless and drug abuse. She is an explorer of cultures and enjoys traveling as much as she can afford. With our organization, her particular focus areas are program development and support of staff.
Sarah Humpage, Secretary
Formerly of Resource Center of the Americas. Sarah is a PhD student in Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. She volunteers with the Lake Area Group Organizing in Solidarity with The People of Guatemala (LAGOS) and Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA).
Christina Jennings, Co-Chair
Formerly of Resource Center of the Americas. Christina is a returning Board Member from several years ago, and is the Executive Director of the Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund. As a small non-profit Executive Director Christina brings significant industry insight to share with the Resource Center, including fundraising and operations management. Christina is also building a company specializing in connecting micro-finance investors with Central-American communities.
Jean Lougee, Co-Chair
Jean is a co-founder of La Conexión and served as Board Chair leading up to the merger with Resource Center of the Americas. As a long-time resident of South Mpls, Jean actively supports cultural diversity, embracing the gifts diversity brings to our community. She leads the Service Administration department of Yale Mechanical with 27 years as an employee. Jean is active in her church council, co-facilitator of women’s retreats and bible study groups, and actively volunteers with Lutheran Social Services’ Camp Noah.
Rene Madrid
Rene is an Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager with US Bank. He has been recognized by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for community and private sector leadership.
Meredith Smith, Treasurer
A new Board Director, Meredith Smith is a retired Certified Public Accountant with 30 years of accounting and tax experience in public accounting, business and nonprofit organizations. Most recently, she was the Finance Director for Community Involvement Programs, a social service agency with a $27 million budget. She has served on the Boards of several nonprofit organizations and has travelled extensively in Spanish speaking countries, including Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador and Spain. With La Conexión, her primary interest is the Financial Achievement Process, especially the volunteer tax preparation program.
Diana Viteri
Diana Viteri is a Financial Analyst at Ecolab, Inc. where she also is an active member of HACER (Hispanic Advocates and Employees Collaborating at Ecolab for Results). She is from Colombia and has lived in Honduras, Spain and now in the United States along with several trips through Latin America to learn more about the diverse cultures this region offers. She is passionate in working on building resources for the community.
